Italy's Court of Cassation rules on privacy fine delays

The Italian Court of Cassation has ruled on whether delays by the Data Protection Authority (Garante) in processing complaints can be used to contest privacy fines. In ruling 24861/2026, the Court distinguished between the time allowed for the Authority to decide on a complaint and the timeline for the actual sanctioning procedure.

The case involved a €20,000 fine imposed on a publishing company for an article that included the personal details of the children of a convicted individual. Although the publisher argued that the delay in the proceedings should invalidate the sanction, the Court rejected the appeal, stating that the reported delays did not produce the required legal effect to overturn the fine.